Azerbaijan signs the Declaration on Children, Youth and Climate Action

BAKU, Azerbaijan, 11 November 2024 – At the start of the Conference of the Parties (COP29) of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), the Government of Azerbaijan has today signed the Declaration on Children, Youth and Climate Action, committing to put children at the centre of climate policy.

Azerbaijan’s Minister of Ecology and Natural Resources and COP29 President Mukhtar Babayev signed the declaration at a ceremony attended by UNICEF Executive Director Catherine Russell, Youth Climate Champion for COP29 Leyla Hasanova, high-level government officials and children and young people from Azerbaijan.

UNICEF welcomes Azerbaijan’s commitment shown by signing the Declaration - the first-of-its-kind framework to accelerate inclusive, child- and youth-centred climate policies and action at national and global levels.

Climate change is impacting children’s health and development, safety, and access to essential services. Around one billion children – half the world’s child population – live in one of the 33 countries that are at ‘extremely high risk’ from the impacts of climate change and pollution.

“Today we are reinforcing Azerbaijan’s commitment to a climate process that delivers for children and youth,” said Azerbaijan’s Minister of Ecology and Natural Resources and COP29 President Mukhtar Babayev. “And we encourage all parties to consider how their climate action will deliver a more sustainable future for children and youth.”

“It is imperative that we put children at the heart of climate change policies and invest in solutions that protect children from the impacts of climate change,” said UNICEF Executive Director Catherine Russell. “Azerbaijan’s signing of the Declaration is another step in that direction, placing children at the center of the climate agenda.”

UNICEF calls on other countries to sign the Declaration and set out their level of ambition and commitment to protect children from the worsening impacts of climate change.   

To support the implementation of the Declaration, UNICEF is working with governments and partners to adapt and strengthen the existing systems that children rely on – including education, social protection and health care – to ensure that the services can withstand and respond to the effects of climate change and mitigate the risks.